When Jesus proclaims Himself “The Good Shepherd”, He is tapping a deep well of Jewish theological identity.  It was during the celebration of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, that Jesus uttered these words.  During this feast, texts from the OT were regularly read, texts decrying the “bad shepherds” or “false shepherds” that had led to Israel’s ruin time and time again.  They spoke against the temple leaders who had given in to their oppressors rather […]

Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? Why do we do what we do?  This question takes on a renewed seriousness when it comes to our devotional life.  Why do we […]